Assessing and Forecasting Willamette Falls Fish Passage
R
Modeling
Investigation of time series data to understand and predict trends in fish passage
Introduction & Data Summary
Fish passage is a critical component of river ecosystem health, ensuring migratory species can access spawning and rearing habitats essential for their survival. In the Pacific Northwest, species like coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), jack coho (precocious male coho that return earlier than typical adults), and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) rely on unobstructed passage to complete their life cycles. At Willamette Falls in Oregon, one of the largest natural waterfalls in the region, fish passage is especially important due to the historical and ongoing impacts of barriers such as dams.